Clinical Notes: Energy Drinks May Tire Troops

by John Gever John Gever Senior Editor, MedPage Today
November 11, 2012

Soldiers drinking large amounts of so-called energy drinks were significantly more likely to nod off on guard duty. Also this week: a new treatment for Morquio A syndrome advances.

Energy Drinks: Bad for Troop Readiness?

American combat soldiers in Afghanistan who drank large quantities of so-called energy drinks such as Red Bull were significantly more likely to report sleep problems such as nodding off on guard duty and in briefings, according to U.S. Army medical researchers.

Writing in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the researchers said that 45% of the 1,249 soldiers participating in a survey consumed at least one such drink daily and 14% had three or more.

Among the latter group, nearly 40% said they slept no more than 4 hours nightly. They also were twice as likely to say they fell asleep on guard duty and in briefings relative to soldiers who consumed two or fewer energy drinks daily.

The authors cautioned that their results did not prove that the energy drinks caused the sleep disruptions. Nevertheless, they advocated more counseling for soldiers -- and the general population as well -- about the need to moderate intake of caffeinated beverages.

Drug Passes Hurdle in Morquio Study

A drug called GALNS met its primary endpoint in a phase III trial for treatment of mucopolysaccharidosis Type IVA, also known as Morquio A syndrome, its manufacturer said.

Morquio A syndrome is a rare, inherited lysosomal storage disorder that results in dwarfism and a range of organ and tissue abnormalities.

In the placebo-controlled study, infusions of GALNS led to improvements in 6-minute walking distance of 22.5 meters after 6 months, according to a press release from BioMarin Pharmaceuticals. The drug is an enzyme, N-acetylgalactosamine-6-sulfatase, that is expected to compensate for the defect responsible for Morquio A syndrome.

Patients are continuing in the study, and the firm expects to collect data on 48-week responses, it said. BioMarin said it planned to submit marketing applications for the product beginning early next year.

Mepolizumab Moves into Pivotal Asthma Studies

GlaxoSmithKline said it had begun two phase III studies of mepolizumab, an investigational antibody drug targeting interleukin-5, in patients with severe asthma.

One of the trials will evaluate the drug as monotherapy, while the other will test it in conjunction with other medications in patients with treatment-refractory asthma.

IL-5 is an important mediator of eosinophil activity, the company explained. Mepolizumab binds to the cytokine and prevents it from interacting with its receptors on these cells, which GSK believes will reduce eosinophil counts in airways and thereby the frequency of exacerbations.

Autism Speaks Expands Research Database

A collection of genetic and clinical data from families that include two or more children with autism spectrum disorders, assembled under sponsorship by the advocacy group Autism Speaks, has been expanded with the addition of 383 new families, the group said.

Data on a total of 9,335 individuals, including 3,348 with an autism spectrum disorder, are now included in the group's Autism Genetic Resource Exchange.

The database, which can also be accessed through the National Database for Autism Research, is available to researchers worldwide. Autism Speaks said its data had been used in 205 "significant" research publications.

Menactra Data Appear in Print

Clinical trial results supporting the FDA's approval of the Sanofi Pasteur meningococcal vaccine Menactra in infants and toddlers have now been published, the company said.

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